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The Nebraska legislature’s Health
and Human Services Committee voted 32 to 3 to give first-round approval to
Legislative Bill 528 (LB 528), which would authorize healthcare providers to
give expedited partner therapy for STDs. The practice allows doctors to
prescribe antibiotics for the sexual partner of an STD-infected patient, even
if the partner refuses to come in for a doctor’s exam. CDC recommends expedited
partner therapy because if only one partner receives STD treatment, that person
can be re-infected by the untreated partner.
State Senator Sara Howard sponsored
the bill to combat high rates of chlamydia and gonorrhea in Nebraska. In 2011,
Douglas County, which includes the city of Omaha, had the highest chlamydia
incidence in the United States. Nebraska also ranked worse than 31 other states
for gonorrhea incidence in 2011. Untreated chlamydia and gonorrhea can cause
health problems for the patient, and can result in blindness, premature birth,
and “life-threatening” infections for babies born to women with chlamydia and
gonorrhea.
Bill opponents objected to providers
prescribing antibiotics without examining the partner. The bill requires
doctors to call partners to verify names and to ask about drug allergies prior
to writing a prescription. Others opposed the bill because it allows providers
to treat minors for STDs without notifying parents. The committee rejected an
amendment to require notification of parents of minors. Since 1972, Nebraska
law has allowed physicians to treat minors for STDs without notifying parents.
Nebraska’s medical community,
pharmacists, and public health clinics support passage of LB 528. Although many
providers already prescribe expedited partner therapy, public health clinics
have been reluctant to adopt the practice without the guidance of state law.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
